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Youtube content creator Haley Blais newest song “Late Bloomer” off her EP of the same name does not sound all that retro, but there is a throwback component to it. You just have to listen really carefully to hear it.

The song, which is one of the best tunes of 2016, combines forlorn lyrics and Blais hazy and emotional voice to create an altogether honest and vulnerable track that will connect with many listeners. “I’m a late bloomer/you’ll never see me in the spring/I hesitate to my pruner/cause I’m scared of ever blossoming,” she sings, wearing her heart on her sleeve revealing that she’d rather sit at home and that she isn’t good at one on one situations.

So where does the retro element come in? To be honest this reviewer didn’t even notice it until a friend pointed it out. During certain sections of the song Blais can be heard softly crooning parts of Madonna’s 1989 hit “Like a Prayer.” It is extremely subtle and to many ears it will go unnoticed, but once you hear it you can’t ignore it and it adds a whole different layer and texture to the tune. Blais is giving a nod to a top musician and a retro song but it is so much more than that. It feels entirely personal and lets Blais show another extension of herself, making the tune her own.